Black Beans

1 medium white onion, diced

1-2 T vegetable oil

1 pound of black beans

2 quarts (8 cups) of water

1 sprig epazote (optional)

Salt – 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons

Heat oil over medium heat on stove until hot, but not smoking. Add onions and sauté until browned. You need this browning to get the smoky flavor into the beans. At this point you can: a) move the onions to a slow cooker or b) continue cooking on the stove. For the slow cooker, add the beans and 6 cups of water to the crockpot, snap on the lid, and turn the slow cooker to whatever temperature you use for cooking over a long period of time. On my slow cooker, that is high, whereas for others, this is low. Cook for around six hours and then add salt and cook with lid off for ½ an hour to an hour or until the beans are soft. You also want to reduce the water enough to have a creamy broth covering the beans.

For the stove, add about 6 cups of water to the beans and bring up to a boil then decrease the heat to a simmer. Continue to check for level of water every 20 minutes or so. Two hours into cooking, check the beans for doneness. If they are fairly soft, then add the salt and cook for at least 30 more minutes or until soft with some creamy broth covering the beans. I keep a kettle warm on the side of the stove to top up the beans while they cook.

Marcia